Straw Man, Erased

Hooray for Hollywood! The cinematic dream masters are powerfully adept at making fantasy seem real. We get flying super heroes, cosmic meteor strikes, even an Emerald City.

And now, another fable–a tale of mean Christians forcing a boy to be un-“gay.”

In the dream worlds of “LGBT” activists and their Tinsel Town allies, Christians who help people struggling with same sex attractions actually use methods of coercion, intimidation and physical torture—or so they apparently imagine.

They hope, hope, hope it’s like this or kind of like this, so the film Boy Erased won’t go down in flames as another ridiculous leftist fraud.

Boy Erased claims to be a memoir about actual events. I and others doubt that what is portrayed in this film ever happened, in Tennessee or anywhere. We continue to wait for those who might know to confirm or deny these allegations of terrible abuse.

Unfortunately for the producers, this film will make history—as a vehemently Christian-bashing, deceptive, unjust portrayal of what actually does happen when people are quietly and sensitively counseled about unwanted homosexual feelings. Quite often, those feelings are the rotten fruit of sexual molestation.

Not inborn and natural, but imposed and troubling.

It is totally possible to leave homosexual attractions behind because the awesome mercy and healing power of Jesus Christ changes desires, lives and destinies.

But progressives have a narrative that must be pushed, and the alleged memoir spawning this tale gave them a new excuse to paint faithful Christianity as repressive, ruthless and ignorant.

Boy Erased depicts a residential treatment program for males struggling with “gay” attractions. In the film, a young man is beaten with a Bible. There’s shaming and yelling. Alleging that “God won’t love you” unless homosexuality stops instantly in this young man’s life.

“77,000 people are currently being held in conversion therapy across America. For more information, visit stoperasing.com .”

“Being held”? Like in prison camps?

Tell me where specifically this is happening. All of us in the pro-family movement will be the first ones to make sure it stops.

But silence will be the only response because the producers know this is most likely a well-crafted fraud. I think this never happened.

And if anything like this nauseating mis-portrayal of cruel “therapy” does occur, it’s sad, but lots of selected anecdotes about how humans can mistreat each other are sad. And so what’s the solution? That we all therefore believe that homosexuality is wonderful and beneficial?

If anything like this occurs, those involved have an available recourse — complain to medical boards in their respective states to put a stop to these isolated abuses, if an investigation finds any merit in the complaint. It does not mean that all counseling to help homosexuals should be banned.

That is the conclusion they want you to have, the “action step” you are to take, as an obediently manipulated ( and ill-informed) American. And you are to support legislative bans (like the recent AB 2943 in California) prohibiting counseling, conferences, even possibly books, sermons, radio broadcasts, etc. that communicate a positive, hopeful message of change.

I am asking you to get the facts and refuse to be manipulated.

Let’s think about long-standing Christian doctrine. Those who support banning help for homosexuals will be denying the powerful witness of the apostle Paul, who explains in 1 Corinthians 6 that some of the people in the Corinthian church had a history of homosexuality. But does he say, “And that’s okay—just keep being who you are.“?

No, he writes in verse 11, “…And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Ex-homosexuals. A reality of first century Christianity, rescued by Jesus, the Savior of all. So why are some attempting to push America backwards toward the barbaric excesses of pre-Christian paganism—while preventing any other option?

No, what this film sets up is a heart-tugging straw man. But such blatant deception should be “erased” because it will potentially mislead millions of people.

Hollywood has produced sympathetic tales in recent years about assisted suicide, aborting unborn babies, adultery, incest, and satanism.

Aren’t we bigger than this? Have we totally lost discernment? I don’t think so. I think the American Christian church can see right through this. Even though this propaganda piece is sure to rank undeservedly high at the Academy Awards, it’s not true and it’s not a reason to endorse homosexual behavior.

We must all continue to stand by what we know is the truth, and be wise to recognize deception, even when persuasively packaged and glamorized by Hollywood.